First way to make expressive: Increase information. 1 ∕ 2
From the previous article
Expressiveness — is when you perceive information quickly.
The more information there is, and the faster we perceive it — the more expressive an object is.
Hence the formula: Expressiveness = information ∕ time
* * *
SINCE the formula is information ∕ time, there are two ways to make an object expressive. Increase information, or decrease time.
Increase information
To increase information, you need to, well, add information. But in a way that contributes to a story — otherwise, it won’t work.
Let me explain using an example.
Here is an image with two little buddies:
The image contains the information: “little body №1” and “little body №2.”
Now let’s make them hold hands:
Now the information is: “little body №1,” “little body №2,” and “holding hands.” With this third piece of information, the story appears: “A couple in love.”
Let’s draw the third little body:
The information is: “little body №1,” “№2,” and “№3.”
The difference from the previous image is that now it’s difficult to make up a story. Three persons are just… there, for some reason. Last time you could immediately understand that two little buddies were lovers or friends.
Why constructing a story works
The explanation lies within the formula: information ∕ time.
“A couple in love” increases information: “little body №1,” “little body №2” → “little body №1,” “little body №2,” and “holding hands.” But also it keeps the time of perception of the meaning behind the image low — we immediately see the story behind it.
Be it a couple of lovers or friends — doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you don’t think about it, you just see it.
“Three persons are just… there, for some reason” also increases information: “little body №1,” “№2” → “№1,” “№2,” and “№3.” But this information slows your perception.
You don’t see a connection between these 3 people. Yes, you can think of one — but you get the point, it doesn’t happen immediately.
To construct a story — make a sentence
How do you check if you managed to construct a story?
One method is to describe an object with a sentence. A simple sentence means you managed to make a story. A compound sentence, with commas and homogeneous members — the story doesn’t read very well.
To make a simple sentence, pieces of information take a role of a sentence element:
subject — a thing on a picture;
verb — an action of this thing;
complement — a description of this thing;
adverbial — a description of the action of this thing;
object — a second thing with which the first thing interacts.
Back to the little buddies.
The original two little buddies are described with the sentence “A person and a person.” The sentence has two homogeneous subjects, meaning it’s not a good story. The image isn’t expressive:
When these little buddies held their hands, the sentence became “A couple in love.” It’s a simple sentence with a subject and a complement. The expressiveness increased:
The third little buddy made the sentence even more compound: “A person, another person, and another person.” It now has three homogeneous subjects, the story reads even worse. The image became less expressive:
Examples
The Sky
Information: “sky.”
Sentence: “The sky.” Consists of one subject.
The sky with a plane
A plane appeared in the sky. Now information became: “sky” and “plane.”
Sentence: “A plane in the sky.” The sky turned into a complement of the new subject — plane. A plane where? in the sky.
The photo became more expressive.
A scooter
Information: “scooter” and “worn-out seat.”
Sentence: “Vintage scooter” — a subject and a complement.
Two motorcycles
Information: “motorcycle,” “motorcycle,” and “tree” that just was there and therefore was captured by the camera.
These three objects aren’t connected with each other. Therefore, the sentence is: “Motorcycle, motorcycle, and a tree.” — three homogeneous subjects.
The photo is less expressive.
Pigeons
These pigeons look the same — no pigeon stands out. So they can be viewed as just one piece of information: “pigeons.”
Sentence: “Pigeons.”
Pigeons and a parrot
A parrot joined the pigeons. Now the information is: “pigeons” and “parrot.”
The single parrot stands out from the flock of pigeons. Therefore, fits the sentence: “A parrot against pigeons” or “A parrot rejected by pigeons”
The picture became more expressive.
Again, that’s because you can describe it with a simple sentence — meaning you interpret the meaning behind the picture quickly. When you try to describe the “Motorcycle, motorcycles and a tree” you get a compound sentence — meaning the meaning doesn’t read very well.
P.S. —
Thank you for reading!
This was the 2nd article in the Expressiveness series, where I am looking for a universal way of making design beautiful and efficient.
← Previous part:
The Expressiveness Formula
→ In the next article:
How to add large amounts of information in a picture without losing expressiveness. ★ Subscribe — and don’t miss it!
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